1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for storing hysteresis data for operations and processing and for performing processing based on the hysteresis data, and a method therefor.
2. Related Background Art
As is shown in FIG. 1A, with an editing application, such as a word processor, the hysteresis data for operations (deletion, input and input in FIG. 1A) performed by a user in the past can be stored, so that the operation can be re-performed.
Further, as is shown in FIG. 1B, in a Web-browser application, address information for a home page that a user referred to in the past is stored as the hysteresis data for home pages (New product data, ABC Company home page and XYZ Development Division home page in FIG. 1B), so that a home page that was referred to in the past can be referred to again.
An information processing apparatus called a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC) handles electronic information. Therefore, physical information that exists in real space, such as a note that a person wrote or a printed document, is converted into electronic information by an input device, such as a scanner or a digital camera, in order for a PC to handle it. To enable a person to handle electronic information held in a PC, the electronic information must be converted into physical information by an output device, such as a printer or a display device. Assume here that the electronic information held in the PC is output to a printer.
As is shown in FIG. 2, since data are printed via a server 22 by a printer 21, hysteresis (history) data 24 can be stored in the server 22. The stored hysteresis data 24 can be referred to by a person in charge of system management. Since the printer 21 is controlled by the server 22, the server 22 must normally be operating.
When data are printed via a server 25 by the printer 21, hysteresis data 27 are stored only in the server 25. Operations taking place along a route that the server 22 can not manage, can not be stored in the server 22, so that hysteresis data 24 are managed by individual servers.
Since the servers that can store hysteresis data are provided, the hysteresis data are stored in the individual servers, but data, which is transmitted from a PC 23 to the printer 21 directly without passing through the server 22, can not be retained as hysteresis data.
Conventionally, only the minimum data required to refer to an operation in the past are stored as hysteresis data. Therefore, insufficient hysteresis data are available to initiate a new operation, and such an operation, supported only by hysteresis data, can not be performed.
That is, the stored hysteresis data can not be effectively employed for anything other than historical purposes, to confirm the performance of an operation in the past, and for the re-performance of an operation, and for an information processing apparatus other than the one that performed original operation, the hysteresis data is not utilized. Further, the contents of the information to be used for an operation are not stored as hysteresis data.
Based on the idea that input/output devices are PC peripheral devices, the hysteresis data can not be handled by them, and the data are only stored in the PCs when the PCs physically control the input/output devices when performing processing. However, relative to the input/output of physical data, the input/output devices serve as contact points between a user and a PC, and when only the processes performed by the input/output devices under the control of the PC can be stored and used as hysteresis data, this is not only inconvenient for a user, but also it tends to discourage a potential user of the above described system.
When an input/output device only is employed by or when it is used directly by individual PCs, the hysteresis data for the input/output device can not be stored. In order to record the hysteresis data, the input/output device must be connected to the server, and thus a great load is imposed on the server manager.
In addition, since the management of all the input/output devices in a network domain under the control of a sever must be uniform, in order for a server to obtain all the hysteresis data, the load imposed on the server is increased, and is unbalanced.
Further, while a server can not maintain the hysteresis data for an operation performed across a route that it can not manage, it is also impossible for the flow of data to various input/output devices to be controlled by only one server, and in this case, only incomplete hysteresis data can be handled.